Your Guide To Jazz In Miami

When people think about live music in Miami, they often picture dancing the night away to salsa and merengue or staying out well after hours listening and dancing to electronic music at the destination’s best nightclubs. But jazz is also everywhere, from Art Deco hotel lobbies to the area’s best restaurants, and you never need to go far. Nearly every neighborhood has a place where you can hear swinging beats and sultry blues. From jazz bars to festivals, these are the best places to find live jazz in Miami.

Nightly Jazz at The Betsy South Beach

The Betsy South Beach is an architectural standout in Miami Beach, a colonial-style hotel with white columns set smack in the middle of the Art Deco District. Its design is only a small part of why The Betsy is different from any other Ocean Drive hotel. There's live jazz in its lobby, and The Writer's Room offers residencies to jazz artists, among those in other artistic disciplines. The hotel’s live jazz series is the longest-running live music series in Miami, with jazz every night of the week and two sets on weekends. There’s also never a cover and no drink minimum.

Latin Jazz at Ball & Chain

When it comes to live music in Little Havana, it’s hard to top Ball & Chain, which once hosted jazz legends such as Tommy Dorsey and Billie Holiday. Today, its backyard pineapple bandshell is one of the coolest venues in Miami, where Latin jazz bands play surrounded by tropical plants and a soft wave of cigar smoke. It’s a must-visit for any music lover.

Jazz at Greystone Bar

Hotel Greystone, a cool boutique hotel in South Beach, attracts visitors and locals for the eclectic menu at Sérêvène. But head up a few stairs to the swanky Greystone Bar and you’ll be treated to a true throwback jazz experience. The dimly lit, exquisitely adorned space feels like it’s been ripped from Miami Beach’s Art Deco heyday, with live jazz filling the air from Thursday-Saturday. If you’re hungry, try one of the bar’s signature smashburgers while you enjoy the show. It’s sneakily one of Miami’s best.

Live Music at Neme Gastro Bar

When you put a trumpet in your logo, you’re setting high expectations for the music guests will find inside. Neme Gastro Bar delivers, filling its main room along Coral Way with live, local music every night of the week. The acts are heavy on jazz, though you might also find salsa, rock and roll and even some country acts thrown in. The menu skews toward Latin favorites, with tostones, fresh seafood tiraditos, paella and octopus highlighting the offerings.

Live Jazz With A View

For live jazz with a view, head to Española Way in South Beach and the Esmé Hotel, where you’ll find live jazz on the rooftop every Sunday from 6:30 to 10 p.m. Soul Jazz Sundays kick off at 5 p.m. with a live DJ set and $8 cocktails and continue with three sets from Thee D3 Trio. You’ll also find discounts on light bites, $6 glasses of wine and $5 beers.

Jazz at The Fish House

A little family-run fish shack in the Kendall area isn’t exactly the first place you would expect to find some of the best live music in Miami, but The Fish House has been serving up fresh catches and cool local bands since 1996. The walls are adorned with pictures of the artists who’ve played there, and the stage features new acts almost every night. The Fish House usually hosts jazz on Wednesdays and Fridays, but stop in on other nights and you’ll find blues and acoustic music too.

Jazz Wednesday's at Michael’s Genuine

Most people know Michael’s Genuine Food & Drink in the Miami Design District as one of Miami’s original farm-to-table restaurants, helmed by James Beard Award-winning chef Michael Schwartz. And while it’s always worth stopping by for a martini and smoked fish dip, on Wednesday nights, you can pair the restaurant’s fine food with live jazz.

Wine & Jazz … The Perfect Pairing

At first glance, Lagniappe House, a Midtown Miami hot spot looks, like an eccentric relative’s backyard, dotted with mismatched furniture and strings of lights. And while the back patio is a Miami social staple, head to Lagniappe on weekends and you’ll find live jazz combos entertaining the intimate crowds indoors. You can pick up a bottle of Lagniappe’s excellent wines and pair it with a fresh-cut charcuterie board, which feels especially sophisticated when backed by jazz.

Saturday Night Jazz at The Globe

A narrow little restaurant in Coral Gables that’s been a mainstay on Miami’s live music scene since the 1990s, The Globe is a regular Saturday destination for jazz, Afro-Cuban music, blues and other genres. The small tables and cozy confines make it feel like a hidden nightclub of yesteryear. Even if you go for the music, it’s worth saving your appetite for the steak and pizzas.

Jazz Up Your Date Night

If your date night calls for a little live jazz, make your reservation at Jass Kitchen, a Turkish bistro just north of the Miami Design District. Its walls are filled with framed jazz records, and the restaurant is a great place to enjoy mezzes, oven-baked branzino and Turkish ravioli by candlelight. The whole scene is set to live jazz that keeps things lively without being intrusive.

Jazz Events in Miami

If you’re looking for jazz in Miami, you don’t always need to go to a jazz club. The area has several jazz festivals throughout the year, drawing some of the top names in the genre. 

South Beach Jazz Festival - January

During  January, the South Beach Jazz Festival takes place at venues throughout Miami Beach, offering free and ticketed events. In 2026, the festival will celebrate its 10th anniversary, making it the longest running jazz fest in Greater Miami & Miami Beach.

Montreux Jazz Festival Miami - February

The renowned Montreux Jazz Festival Miami takes over Dinner Key Marina at The Hangar in Coconut Grove during the last weekend in February. Its first two years were roaring successes, headlined by Jean Baptiste, Chaka Kahn, Janelle Monáe and others.

Jazz in the Gardens - March

Perhaps Miami’s best known jazz festival is the Jazz in the Gardens Music Fest, held annually in early March at Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens. It’s morphed into more of a celebration of all-Black music than simply jazz, and the 2025 festival was headlined by Toni Braxton, Lauryn Hill  and New Edition.

Sunshine Jazz Brings Local Music to Life

Jazz in Miami spreads far beyond what you’ll find at live lounges and music festivals. It’s an entire community of people teaching lessons, giving lectures and playing at community events and schools. Sunshine Jazz is a nonprofit organization founded in 1986 to help foster Miami’s jazz scene. It holds monthly concerts for its members, showcasing up-and-coming local talent, and is a major contributor to the area’s rising place among jazz destinations.

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